


December

by xxELF21xx



Category: Food Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas, Family, Gen, Gift Fic, Not Beta Read, Secret Santa, not edited we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-26 22:29:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17150249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxELF21xx/pseuds/xxELF21xx
Summary: December brings families together, right?





	December

**Author's Note:**

  * For [velvetnoire](https://archiveofourown.org/users/velvetnoire/gifts).



> for [riinua](https://seraphic-cake.tumblr.com/)  
> aaaaa this was a whole trainwreck to write bc i wasn't very familiar with your OCs!! im so sorry if i misrepresented them in any way! i hope you like your gift! merry christmas and happy holidays!

It was December. 

Not that December meant much to Peking Duck, nor the other Food Souls, but humans have a particularly interesting way of celebrating the end of the year. His Master Attendant had called it…  _ Christmas.  _ He vaguely recalls that one of the younger Food Souls represented that festival as well, though he was not particularly interested in finding out more about them. 

But it was December, and it was the Month of Giving - as some would say. 

Wasn’t it odd, how humans dedicated only a month, thirty-one days, to giving? Peking Duck sighs, fiddling with his pipe, ‘humans are an enigma…’ 

It was Christmas. 

But his Master Attendants were not ones to celebrate such a festival, peculiar as they were. Professional, strict and confusing, his Master Attendants refused to partake in any sort of festivities. 

Honestly, the Tang children do not act like children. Should he be worried?

‘Ah! There you are!’ Airheaded Blancmange crashes straight into him, upsetting his pipe and letting its contents spill everywhere. ‘I was looking for you!’ Her smile is ever-present, warm amidst the cold weather. 

Peking tries not to frown, composing himself while picking up his pipe. Ah, there’s nothing left to smoke. Perhaps he should be more prepared, next time. 

‘Did you hear? Hey, I’m talking!’ Blancmange snaps her fingers, drawing his attention to the icing smears on her face. He shakes his head, suddenly fatigued, gesturing for her to repeat herself. ‘I said: the heart of snow needs to be warmed. Honestly, does anyone listen to me here?’ 

‘Perhaps, if you talked in a proper speech pattern that does not include riddles, others will find you more approachable, Miss Blancmange.’ Ah, he did not mean to sound so detached. ‘My apologies, I did not mean to offend.’

Blancmange laughs, the freckles on her face complementing her rosy cheeks perfectly. ‘No, no! It’s alright! Those who seek harm often have ill intents, Peking. I’m sorry for disturbing you, but I hope you figure out what I meant!’ 

He represses the urge to sigh, dusting off imaginary specks of dirt from his clothes. ‘Hmn, I hope so as well.’

 

_ He sees you when you’re sleeping, _

_ He knows when you’re awake, _

_ He knows if you’ve been good or bad -  _

_ So be good, for Goodness’ sake! _

 

‘Santa Claus sounds like a stalker.’ 

Coffee bursts into peals of laughter, grabbing hold of the countertop in an attempt to stabilize himself. He wheezes, drying his eyes with a washcloth, shoulders shaking noticeably. ‘When you see it from an angle, yes, Santa sounds like a terrible man.’ 

Boston Lobster snorts, ‘you know I’m right.’

Raising an eyebrow, Coffee does his best impression of the albino,  _ ‘what’s my plan? Run into enemy territory and wreck them all! _ \- Clearly, the man who said that is a man of wisdom.’ Trying not to roll his eyes, Coffee gestures at the empty teahouse as a sign of surrender, ‘I would rather much stay indoors and be a househusband than admit that such a fool is correct.’ 

The other man harrumphs, eyebrows pinched together, ‘you just don’t know greatness when you see it.’

‘I know dumbassery when I see it.’

A cough interrupts them both. ‘Not to be rude, but I would really appreciate it if the both of you help wait the tables upstairs.’ Plum Juice has a hand on his hip, looking nonplussed, ‘it’s Hell compared to the quiet lobby.’ 

Ditching the cloth, Coffee mutters a soft  _ whoops,  _ ‘we’ll be up in a minute, promise!’ 

Plum Juice leaves, a gentle stare pinned on Boston’s back as he walks past them, ‘don’t you think it’s horribly quiet?’ 

Neither of them says a word in response, caught off guard by the question.

 

He reckons, the most annoying thing about  _ this time of the year  _ was how difficult it was to walk somewhere without getting nipped in the cheeks by the stinging winter winds. It wasn’t as bad as Nevras’ storms, but he’d thought that Palata wouldn’t have any snow. 

He was, clearly, wrong.

Trudging along, he recalls Coffee mentioning something about  _ Christmas  _ and  _ Family togetherness -  _ both of which sound strangely foreign to him. None of his other Attendants ever celebrated the festival, because they’d all been lonely. 

It was probably the first time in a while since he’d shared a space with others. It should be suffocating, but it….really isn’t all that bad. Having that many people around him just makes it easier for him to forget. 

Blancmange said that  _ forgetting wasn’t as bad a thought as we might see it,  _ but he knows that at the end of the day, forgetting hurts as much as remembering. 

So, if that’s the case, was it all that necessary for him to travel all the way back to Palata to see the rest of the Food Souls? Because seeing them, seeing  _ him,  _ was remembering  _ her.  _

 

_ Remembering doesn’t mean that it’s all that bad, either. It just means that we’ve grown up a little more. We’ve grown up enough to remember some things.  _

 

The lobby is a mess when they step in to open shop. Tree clippings form a trail, with the occasional tinsel and bauble lying in the midst. There’s glitter all over the floor, and shouts of exasperation are heard from somewhere that  _ wasn’t  _ the kitchen. 

How odd.

‘What do you think is happening?’ Plum Juice hums, preparing to sweep the floors. He sees Boston trying to herd the younger ones into slowing down, reprimanding them for running in the lobby and not wearing extra layers. 

Coffee has disappeared to the bar, trembling fingers laying mugs all over the countertop. ‘Anyone wants some hot chocolate?’ The blond yells, and is immediately flooded with people piling on top of him as a way of thanks. It’s slightly endearing to see the usually stoic Coffee get bombarded with excitable children and teens. 

Someone clears their throat, a large shawl wrapped over his shoulders. ‘Chocolate,’ Plum Juice greets, moving to help the man with his bags. He’s greeted with a cheeky smile and a shake of a head, ‘there’s secrets in this bag, sorry, Plum.’ 

Plum Juice doesn’t pry for more details, nodding his head and continues to tidy up the floor. ‘Welcome back, Chocolate.’

Chocolate gives him an embarrassed half-smile, ‘yeah… it’s good to be back.’

The restaurant was starting to seem more lively than it’s ever been, and he doesn’t feel as quiet anymore.

Perhaps today was a good day to take a day-off. 

 

It doesn’t take a genius to know why Peking Duck wasn’t participating in the whole affair. 

Swiping a rag off the counter, Boston Lobster chucks it at the other man, ‘clean yourself up a little, won’t you?’ He tries to keep the concern out of voice, masking it with a wobbly indifference, but he thinks that something must have shown on his face. 

Peking looks at him with his jaw agape. Fumbling to catch the towel, he mutters his thanks. 

‘Why’d you do all this, anyway? It’s so noisy,’ Boston stands right next to him, eyes sweeping the lobby to make sure that nobody was getting hurt. Peking hums a flat tune, not really paying him any mind. 

He hates to admit this, but the atmosphere… wasn’t all that bad. It was kinda nice, actually, to have this many people under one roof. He thinks of the first restaurant, how small and cramped it had been, how noisy and rowdy everyone was. It was  _ fun  _ to be there, but as the Tangs expanded, they were all spread thin. Some of them had been disconnected from each other. 

‘You like this, no?’ Peking asks, voice so soft he has to strain his ears to hear him. 

‘I can’t say no.’ 

There’s a smile in their responses, cutting the distance between them. They’d never been particularly close, and he doesn’t think they will ever achieve a bond like Milk and Black Tea, but right now, he thinks he can get used to it.

‘Then that’s good.’

 

It was December, and all of them are gathered under the tree - a giant  _ atrocity  _ (in Peking’s honest opinion) that the younger Souls had put up. There were… unidentifiable objects everywhere, from pieces of cloth to worn ceramic bowls, to their Attendants’ personal belongings (he thinks he sees several gingerbread men scattered near the base of the tree and recalls,  _ oh, so that’s her name)  _ as well as some of their own items strung at the top, near the… weird aluminium thing.

‘What is this supposed to be?’ One of the Tangs, Laurent, asks, trying to stifle his amusement. 

‘I believe it is a tree,’ Chocolate laughs, shaking his head as Coffee tries his hardest not to grin. ‘A… beautiful tree?’ 

Peking Duck shakes his head, ‘all of you, be nicer. It is the month of giving, isn’t it?’ He hopes this is what Blancmange means - to melt the hearts of those around them, by coming together to celebrate this festivity. 

It wasn’t easy trying to get everyone to the newly set up restaurant in Palata, and it was even harder trying to get the tree  _ into  _ the lobby without any suspecting anything. Smiling to himself, he hides his blistering hands, trying his utmost best to seem content. 

Everyone around him is a flurry of activity, talking and cheering. It’s a nice image, he thinks; the cold and frost around his ears are now fuzzy and red from heat.

It was December, and though his hands sting and bleed, his family is right here.

**Author's Note:**

> hhhh this wasn't what i envisioned, but i do hope it brought a smile to your face!!
> 
> hmu on [tumblr](https://yellow-wine.tumblr.com/) if you like!! im always up for a chat!


End file.
